Eating the Rainbow – Challenge Yourself to Try Fruits and Vegetables of
Different Colors
Fresh, filling and heart-healthy, fruits and vegetables are an important part of your overall
healthy eating plan.
They are high in vitamins, minerals and fiber and low in fat and calories. Eating a variety of
fruits and vegetables may help you control your weight and your blood pressure.
Mom was right; eat your peas and carrots (and grapes and oranges).
The American Heart Association recommends eating eight or more fruit and vegetable servings
every day. An average adult consuming 2,000 calories daily should aim for 4.5 cups of fruits and
vegetables a day. Also, variety matters, so try a wide range of fruits and veggies
Tips to boost fruits and vegetables to your diet:

Keep it colorful. Challenge yourself to try fruits and vegetables of different colors. Make
it a red/green/orange day (apple, lettuce, carrot), or see if you can consume a rainbow of
fruits and vegetables during the week.

Add it on. Add fruit and vegetables to foods you love. Try adding frozen peas to
mac’n’cheese, veggies on top of pizza and slices of fruit on top of breakfast cereals or
low-fat ice cream.

Mix them up. Add fruits and vegetables to food that’s cooked or baked, or mix
vegetables in with pasta sauces, lasagnas, casseroles, soups and omelets. Mixing fresh or
frozen berries into pancakes, waffles or muffins is another great way to make fruits and
veggies a part of every meal.

Roast away. Try roasting vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions,
carrots, tomatoes or eggplant. Long exposure to high heat will cause these foods to
caramelize, which enhances their natural sweetness and reduces bitterness.

Enjoy vegetable dippers. Chop raw vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Try bell peppers,
carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower and celery, and dip your favorites into low-fat
or fat-free dressings. Dip tip: Read the food label of sauces and dressings to make sure
they are not overloaded with saturated fat and salt.

Sip smoothies. Smoothies are a great way to increase the amount of fruit you eat and
they’re really easy to make. A basic smoothie is just frozen fruit, some low-fat or non-fat
milk and/or yogurt, and 100% fruit juice all processed together in a blender until smooth.
Experiment with different fruits to find out what you really like. Note that some
cholesterol-lowering medications may interact with grapefruit, grapefruit juice,
pomegranate and pomegranate juice. Please talk to your health care provider about any
potential risks.

Try fruit pops. Put 100% fruit juice in an ice tray and freeze it overnight. You can eat
the fruit cubes as mini-popsicles or put them in other juices. Frozen seedless grapes make
natural mini-popsicles and are a great summer treat.

Enjoy fruit desserts. Fresh or canned fruit in light syrup or natural fruit juice, gelatin
containing fruit and dried fruit are good choices for a dessert.
Color
Fruits and Vegetables
Red / Pink:
beets, cherries, cranberries, pink grapefruit, pomegranates,
radicchio, radishes, raspberries, red apples, red grapes, red
peppers, red potatoes, rhubarb, strawberries, tomatoes, tomato
sauce, tomato juice, watermelon
Orange / Yellow:
acorn or butternut squash, apricots, cantaloupe, carrot, corn,
grapefruit, lemons, mangoes, nectarines, oranges, orange juice,
orange peppers, papaya, peaches, pineapple, pumpkin, summer
squash, sweet potatoes, tangerines, yams, yellow apples, yellow
peppers, yellow squash
Green:
artichokes, asparagus, avocados, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels
sprouts, celery, collard greens, cucumber, green beans, green
cabbage, green grapes, green onions, green peppers, kale, kiwi,
leeks, limes, mustard greens, okra, pears, peas, romaine lettuce,
snow peas, spinach, sugar snap peas, watercress, zucchini
White
bananas, cauliflower, garlic, Jerusalem artichoke, mushrooms,
onion, potatoes, parsnips, shallots
Blue / Purple:
blackberries, blueberries, currants, dates, eggplant, purple grapes,
purple grape juice, plums, prunes, purple figs, raisins